Georgetown University Adjunct Faculty Join the Local 500 Family

On Friday, May 3, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) counted the votes for the Georgetown University Adjunct Faculty Union election.

The vote was overwhelmingly in favor of the union, with 72% of the vote in support of forming a union.

“Universities across the country have been relying more and more on adjunct faculty over the last forty years,” said Kurt Brandhorst, an adjunct in the Georgetown philosophy department. “But the way adjuncts are viewed and treated has not changed to reflect this reality. This victory will help improve conditions at Georgetown, but because we are joining adjuncts at other institutions across the region, the implications go far beyond Georgetown.”

The University was praised for their attitude towards the adjuncts’ efforts to organize a union.

“This was a respectful process between the union and Georgetown University,” said David Rodich, Executive Director of SEIU Local 500. “The administration made a point of putting their social teaching into practice. They respected the right of adjunct faculty to organize, remained neutral and gave them the space and freedom to make this choice. I hope that other institutions will look at how Georgetown put its just employment policy into practice and that they will view this as a model for how universities should handle organizing campaigns.”

A special thanks to the Berger-Marks Foundation for their support. The Berger-Marks Foundation was formed to help women organize into unions.